Enterprise Green Communities Criteria

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Green Building Certification Overview

The New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) requires all New Construction, Substantial and Gut Rehabilitation projects (as defined by HPD) receiving funding from HPD, to comply with the current version of the Enterprise Green Communities (EGC) Criteria with NYC Overlay v2.0 or pursue certification with LEED v4 (gold or above).

2020 EGCC and NYC Overlay

Notice: As of January 2024, there have been updates to the NYC Overlay of the EGCC. All first-time EGC Prebuild submissions must follow “v2.0” of the NYC Overlay.

The Enterprise Green Communities Criteria (EGCC) constitutes as the only comprehensive green building framework designed for affordable housing. This criterion provides proven, cost-effective standards for creating healthy and energy-efficient homes.

The updates to the NYC Overlay focus on building electrification and resiliency to better align with HPD’s Design Guidelines, which prepare buildings for upcoming Local Law compliance. The goal of coordinating our guidelines with the NYC Overlay v2.0 is to streamline processes and make it easier for providers to navigate, while promoting the health, safety, and prosperity of New Yorkers.

Requirements:

Review the Green Building Certification Instructions for all required documentation and a step-by-step guide on how to comply with the Green Building Certification Requirements throughout the project timeline.

Timing of Submission:

The Project Team should review the 2020 EGC Criteria with NYC Overlay v2.0 in tandem with HPD’s Design Guidelines at the earliest stages of design and predevelopment to ensure a thorough understanding of all Design Criterion. In the early stages of schematic design, HPD Design Waivers should be submitted but do not waive mandatory EGC and/or NYC Overlay criteria. Projects must submit a separate wavier to Enterprise if they wish to waive any criteria outline by EGC and/or the NYC Overlay. During schematic design, Project Teams should also watch the October 2023 EGC Training on the NYC Overlay v2.0, log in to the EGC Certification Portal to create an account, and input basic information about the project. After completion of Schematic Design, return to the EGC Certification Portal and begin the HPD Pre-Authorization process. It is recommended to start this phase approximately 2-7 months prior to the project’s anticipated closing, however success will be dependent on considering the Criteria fully in the earliest stages of project planning.

Important Links:

To ensure you are using the most up-to-date forms, always download from this website at the time of use.

Projects using the Project Summary Workbook or Preservation Workbook updated before March 2024 will need to download the workbook linked below to find the EGC Pre-Authorization form.

Contacts:

Resources for Healthy Building